Skin Deep
by Dainn
Summary: Rarity is a year older, a year wiser, and a year ... uglier. When your entire life has been based on appearance, what's a girl to do? But in the end, like it or not, the aging fashionista must find acceptance among the final judge for all things mortal. Time.
1. Chapter 1 - Party

Rarity had mixed emotions on the subject of birthdays. She could remember being a filly and spending weeks looking forward to the day her friends would all gather at her parents' house to eat cake, playgames, and generally make her feel special and vivacious. Birthday parties had been entertaining social events and what wasn't wonderful about all of your friends coming over to give you things and celebrate how great you were? They were ego intensive and joyous to the admittedly egocentric pony. She couldn't recall when she had stopped looking forward to them but now she dreaded them. They had transformed, metamorphosized from mirth to grueling tediance. At some point, the passage of time had slipped a gear and the desperate pleading to become older became the scraping wail of the hands of time grinding forward obtrusively and without mercy.

Another year older.

Another tick of the clock of youth. Another year to claim as age. Another step towards the ugly future of waning beauty and another few strokes of her applicator to hide the damage of time to her elegant features. Oh well, there wasn't time to dwell on such things now; Pinkie had already arrived and begun tossing decorations in randomly charming patterns all across Carousel Boutique. The chattering of her friends outside of her boudoir meant that the party was ready to begin and, even though beauty could not be rushed, Rarity did not wish to appear rude and keep her friends waiting. She looked deeply into the mirror of her cosmetics table and turned her head back and forth to ensure that she was at her loveliest. With a quick wink into the mirror, Rarity stood and turned to the door; she must play the part of the gracious hostess despite how she had come to detest this date each year. She took a step and paused; there was something she still needed to do.

Rarity faced her cosmetics table and sparkled her levitation magic to life, lifting a small pile of purple candles, still sticky with frosting, and dropping them into a wastebasket. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Pinkie's hard work, but there was simply no need to construct a calculable representation of her age. Some things were just not fashionable, but one could not expect the youthful likes of Pinkie Pie to understand and so Rarity had been forced to alter the cake's design slightly, unknown to her baker friend.

In only a moment, Rarity had donned the dress she had designed for this event, the only portion she actively enjoyed, and exited her boudoir to join her friends in the main room of her home and business. A smile graced her features although it was imperceptibly false. Her beauty training and modeling classes had taught her more than how to strut.

All of her friends were in attendance, as well as her family consisting of her younger sibling and parents. They cheered for her, showering praises and attention when she came from her dressing room as she struck a rather elegant pose to accemtuate her new dress. She was quickly swept up into the different party events and the fake smile morphed into one of genuine enjoyment. Her friends really made her forget her problems; it had always seemed to the white unicorn that their bond was something special, something abnormal but undeniably virtuous in scope. It was as if they were meant to be together and their union could nullify all the doubts of the world. For a portion of time Rarity left her dour mood behind and felt mirthful as they played games, opened gifts, and celebrated. It was almost as if she had forgotten the reason behind their joining this day. She had lost herself to the atmosphere until …

"HAAAAAAPPPPPPYYYYYYY BIRTHDAY, RARITY!" Pinkie's strained vocal chords rang out above the din as an unbelievably huge cake was wheeled from the kitchen, streamers and confetti exploding from seemingly nowhere and drawing the attention of the crowd. The cake was tremendous and the icing was as white as snow except for a patch of blue diamond designs and purple streams of icing circling each layer whose size decreased as the tower climbed towards the heavens. Not to be outdone by scope, Pinkie Pie skidded on her back legs in front of the cake with her forelegs shooting up in a display of merriment unknown to the likes of normal ponies, an enormous open-mouthed smile threatening to split her head in half. Suddenly a questioning expression erased the glee and the pink pony gawked towards the top of the cake. She had expected many blazing candles but only a single purple stick of wax held a flame atop the white monstrosity. "Where's the candles?"

Rarity felt a slight cube of ice take root in her stomach and she giggled in a fashion that could only be weakly hidden guilt as she came up with an accepting reply. "Oh, that's all right, Darling. It's such a beautiful cake. I think it's just perfect."

"Maybe they fell off?" Twilight observed, poking her head around the giant confection in search of spilled candles.

"Well, they didn't just walk away. They have to be here somewhere." Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and took to the air above the towering baked-good to get a better view.

Pinkie looked between her legs at the floor that appeared to be above her from the angle, searching for the missing candles. "Hmmm … maybe." She gasped suddenly as a second scenario dawned in her imagination, forcing her to jerk her head back to its normal placement and hop into the air with sudden fear. "Oh no, you guys! What if the candles were made from witch's wax and got up and walked away by themselves! They probably were afraid of being burned and ran away!"

Fluttershy made a weak frightened sound and faded into the background, as witch's wax walking candles were something she didn't necessarily need to see.

"Where in tarnation did ya come up with that, Pinkie? Walkin' sticks of wax? There ain't no such thing." Applejack was giving a slightly annoyed grimace to the party pony.

"Oh well. Wherever they went, I have more. I always keep extras for emergencies; just make sure to be ready to put them out if they start running." Pinkie produced a step ladder from nowhere and hopped to the top, several new candles poking from her lips as she stretched to place them on top of the cake, her expression turning to one of utmost concentration for the precision involved in candle placement.

Rarity just wanted to change the subject and keep Pinkie from placing the new candles. She didn't want the others to know her age. Rarity knew she was the oldest of her group of friends and didn't see the point in making it public knowledge. "Pinkie, stop!" her voice was steeped in panic as her tone raised to a volume of jarring proportions. Pinkie and the others paused and turned in surprise to the sudden outburst. The unicorn flushed with embarrassment and her voice came out thinly veiled from the shame and fear that dwelled inside. "I mean … we're all famished. I appreciate the effort, but how about I make my wish and allow us all to enjoy this magnificent example of confectionary delight?"

The whole group bought the ploy and a round of agreements followed the unicorn's statement. Rarity smiled triumphantly as the pink pony climbed down from her ladder and made way, with a huge grin, for Rarity to climb to the top. Rarity had just stepped on the ladder and was wishing she could age backwards for a few years when Pinkie spoke again.

"I don't think I brought enough candles anyway, actually. It took quite a lot." The statement was innocent; Pinkie was bubbly and air-headed but not cruel. Regardless, Rarity froze in her motion as the words seared into her brain. She snapped a harsh look down to the clueless pink pony. Her words had hurt. The vain pony's insecurities ran deep on the subject of age.

Applejack caught the glare that Rarity burned into Pinkie, sighed in irritation, and reprimanded the young party mare. "Pinkie, dontcha think that was a little rude?" Rarity and Applejack had lived in Ponyville for a long time and were the closest in age. They had been in the same class in school and AJ understood more about Rarity than the others. She knew how much Pinkie's comment had struck home.

A clueless expression swept Pinkie's face and she faced Applejack questioningly for a moment before realization dawned on her. "Oh … I didn't mean to say Rarity was old." She wasn't the brightest pony and her words made all in attendance wince momentarily. "It's just … well, keeping thirty extra candles on me isn't easy and I didn't bring that many. I mean, that's a lot of candles!" Just when everypony thought it couldn't get any worse.

Rarity exploded into a fit of tears and wails, quickly dashing into her boudoir and slamming the door to leave her guests stunned, amazed, and casting malicious glares in Pinkie Pie's direction. Pinkie could only giggle nervously and attempt to shrink into the background as the others walked to the door to issue soothing statements through the wooden portal.

Sweetie Belle tried to open the door but found it locked. Her voice broke as she spoke, "Come on, Sis. Open the door. We don't think you're old. You're the prettiest mare in all of Ponyville."

"Rarity, come on out. Don't listen tah' that nincompony. Y'all know how Pinkie is. She don't think before she speaks. Don't let it ruin yer' big day."

Rarity sobbed into her forelegs, tears moistening the fur and causing her makeup to run in shaky black streaks down her cheeks. She could hear the pleas of her friends but such niceties didn't change the fact that Pinkie was right; she was getting old. Her uncouth proclamation was a fact, thirty was a large number. Her youth was over with the passing of this birthday and her descent to a wrinkled old hag had begun. There was nothing she could do about it but contend with the unfairness of life and increase her beauty regimen to battle the signs of decay.

To the unicorn, birthdays had become a funeral march, oppressed with that finality to which all creatures, however beautiful, must succumb. She felt much the same as the day before but did she still have that energetic spark she once found so vibrant within her? No. Much of that vivacity had gone dormant over the years and Rarity could only predict the condition to worsen in the future. The dawn of her life had ended and she was finding herself beginning to tilt, to decline by minute degrees with each passing hour. Perhaps she could not feel her body dying, but it was. Each moment was one less that remained. It wasn't bad enough that her time was dwindling but why did her body have to age? Wasn't it horrific enough to know that her time was limited, but that her fabulous features would suffer long before her body gave out? The degradation of her lovely appearance was like some sort of cruel joke.

Rarity gazed into the mirror of her cosmetics table, pondering her questions while her eyes leaked more tears, further marring the fabrication of perfection that makeup had slowly been replacing for youth. She was far from ugly, in fact, she was the picture of splendor for Ponyville. Her features were tight and her coat and skin had been well cared for over the years. The unicorn was aging far more gracefully than any other, but she knew that one day even her best attempts to extend her youth would falter. She didn't know how soon that day would come but managed to calm herself over a few minutes while her friends spoke their soothing words through the locked door. Rarity was always dramatic; it was a facet of her personality and she understood it well enough to gain control quickly.

Within a few minutes the mare had her makeup restored and opened the door, not wanting to ruin the wonderful party that her friends had thrown for her. She pushed all of her dark thoughts into the back of her mind and thanked her family and friends for their support before coming back to the party. For one more night, she would push off the threat of eventual demise. She would smile and celebrate with those whom she was closest.

Message from me:

This story is a team project between me and my friend/editor jmj.

He was the mastermind behind this, but I pitched in and helped write/edit/think-up a pretty hefty sum of this over all.

In the end, we weren't sure who should upload the story so we ended up deciding by way of a coin toss.

I lost, so he uploaded this on fimfiction while I uploaded it here on fanfiction.

Hope you guys enjoyed this.

There's more to come in the future.


	2. Chapter 2 - Solace

The party had ended and the few ponies that had stayed to help her clean up were leaving. Only Applejack remained and she wore a tired grin on her face. Rarity, similarly weary, only grinned back and put the last few dishes away as the country mare tussled with her saddlebags.

"Mighty fine, party, doncha think?" Applejack's voice tingled with sarcasm and humor.

"Yes. It was quite the night. Let's be realistic, though. Most of it was fine. I had a rather nice time." Rarity spoke softly, closing the cupboard and turning to face her friend.

Applejack only chuckled. Even though they had their differences, the pair were very comfortable with one another and had learned the intricacies of each other's behaviors. Applejack had been to every birthday Rarity could remember and the pair held a great amount of respect for one another. More than relative interests had brought them closer together. "Ah'm sorry about Pinkie, Rarity. She … well, she ain't playing with a full deck."

"There's no need to excuse her behavior. She's like a child in an adult's body. She doesn't mean to be nasty. She simply navigates the streams of conversation with little delicacy. It's just the way she is." A soft sigh escaped the unicorn that betrayed her emotions. The show of drama could have been easily written off as her persona; it would be understood and possibly even expected by Rarity, but it had stung and cast her mind into a gloomy place.

AJ smiled gently, seeing through Rarity's words. "Well, I brought ya something else, Rarity. Something kind of special that ya might want to keep on hoof in case Pinkie decides tah' throw ya another party." Applejack chuckled and flipped her saddlebag open, bringing out a bottle of hard apple cider. She sat the bottle on the kitchen table and smiled. "Looks like you could use a drink, sugar cube."

Rarity smirked, her eyes falling on the bottle. It wasn't fine wine, but it would improve her mood. She watched as Applejack fetched a pair of tiny glasses from her saddlebag and Rarity had no choice but to object. "Applejack, let's make a compromise," the unicorn spoke, her eyes showing a latent disgust at the thought of drinking out of anything that had been buried in Applejack's saddlebags. "I'll supply the glasses and then we'll enjoy your wonderful gift."

Applejack only rolled her eyes, used to such trivialities from the snooty unicorn. It was charming in a way and AJ had grown to enjoy it. "Fine. Have it your way." The orange earth pony watched Rarity produce a pair of wine glasses, levitating them with her magic to the table. AJ cocked a smirk and shook her head. "Ain't there nothing you can do without bein' fancy?"

"Taking pride in one's appearance could do a world of good for almost anypony, Applejack." A wry grin took her features, "you could do with a few lessons, yourself, darling."

"Yeah, yeah." AJ popped the cork with her teeth and began pouring each of them a full glass until Rarity cleared her throat, reminding AJ that 'a lady never poured a full glass of alcohol'. She simply rolled her eyes and stopped each glass at half full. That was enough to raise Rarity's spirits anyway. A full glass would, most likely, knock her unconscious.

"Let's take these to my veranda. It is a glorious night and the fresh air would do wonders for both of us. The smell of frosting is still rather thick. I'll have to air the whole building tomorrow."

Rarity and AJ went upstairs and through the unicorn's bedroom to sit on the veranda. The pair reclined in comfortable lounge chairs, complete with ornate umbrellas, and sipped their drinks. The air was clear and the night sky was dotted with thousands of blinking stars. Rarity had begun thinking again about her age and waited for the sweet liquid to elevate her mood. She couldn't stifle the sigh that escaped. She was contemplating asking Applejack about how she felt about growing older through use of innuendo but the earth mare beat her to the punch and was far more direct.

"Getting old's not much fun, huh?" Applejack wasn't born in a barn, contrary to popular belief, and was quick as a whip. She knew Rarity all too well and decided to circumvent the funny way the uptight mare had of beating around the bush and simply get to the root of the issue.

Rarity, blushing slightly, was relieved that Applejack's direct nature had interceded for her and sighed again. "It's just not fair, Applejack. Why do we have to get old and ugly? Why can't we just stay young forever?"

Applejack took a drink from her glass, making a face at the thin glass and hoping her sturdy hooves didn't crack the delicate material. She set the glass down gently and adjusted her hat as she thought. "I reckon it's just part of life. We're s'posed tah' get old. It's as natural as apples growin' on trees. I mean, it'd be easier to pick'em if they grew outta the dirt like taters, but I'd be awful upset if I saw an apple comin' outta the dirt. Some things are the way they are because it's the way they're s'posed tah' be."

Rarity rolled her eyes to the heavens and floated her drink closer, taking an unlady-like drink. "It's just not fair. I might as well be an old maid or Granny Smith. The flower of my youth has shed its petals."

AJ couldn't help but laugh in response, earning a glare from Rarity. "Sorry, Rare. Do ya really think yer that bad? It's not like yer sixty or somethin'."

"I might as well be sixty. It's not as if I can age backwards." The unicorn was finding little comfort but it felt good to talk about her issues. "I know you don't really care about your appearance, but how have you been faring with aging?"

Applejack cast a hard look in Rarity's direction."Well thanks." Her words were thick with sarcasm but she let the slight roll down her back. "Like Ah said, it's natural. Someday, Ah'll be old and ridin' in a rocker. It don't make sense tah' fight against it cause it's gonna happen. We cain't fight off time. All we can do is make the most of what we have each day. As long as ya can do that, it don't matter what tomorrow brings."

Rarity smiled softly and turned to regard her friend. Her words had made sense in a very humble kind of way. It wasn't the location of the fountain of youth but, for the moment, it made her feel a little better. "Thanks, Applejack."

AJ quaffed her remaining cider and stood up, glancing at the moon for a reference of time. "Ah should be gettin' back to the farm, Rare. Ah hope ya had a good birthday."

Rarity sat up and hugged her friend, nodding gently. "Any time I get to see you is a good time. Have a safe trip. Thanks."

Applejack turned and began to walk away when Rarity's voice caused her to pause at the sliding door to the bedroom.

"If you do ever decide to try a little foundation or dye for that sun-bleached mane of yours, I'll do it for free. I do enjoy a challenge." Rarity grinned, poking fun at her oldest friend.

Applejack smirked and nodded. "If'n Ah ever decide to get all gussied up, you'll have the honors. Ah'll try not to use up all yer supplies." With that, the country mare showed herself out, leaving her friend to herself.

Rarity sighed again and checked to make sure Applejack was out of sight before chugging the last few drinks of her cider. She blew the burning sensation from her throat and looked into the sky again. She was thirty years old now. She didn't want to be, but it was a fact. Maybe Applejack was correct and she should just take life one day at a time, but that seemed so unplanned. Applejack was pretty in a plain sort of way and her country accent won her some points but the lack of coat and skin care was apparent to Rarity. Applejack had never put effort into maintaining her looks and it showed. Rarity could see the places where wrinkles would begin to stand out on the orange mare and her pores were probably the size of saucers. Taking life a day at a time was fine if you wanted to look your age but, fashionably, looking your age ceased to be a good thing around twenty one.

Rarity's mind began to drift toward the dark again and she commenced thinking of other beauty regimens she could implement when she fell asleep in her chair, the cider finally kicking in at what seemed all at once.


	3. Chapter 3 - Cruel World

A dull thudding came at the edge of Rarity's consciousness prompting her to gurgle through the sieve of sleep. The unicorn kicked one back leg and rolled in the chair on the veranda where she had fallen asleep. Another jarring set of thuds caused a more guttural response and Rarity barked some unintelligible declarative from her mostly asleep state. It wasn't until a piercingly high pitched voice began to wail depressingly that her eyes opened and she confirmed her surroundings.

Rarity groaned and sat up from the reclined chair, her spine popping and aching in protest to the unusual sleeping place. The purple maned mare whined and stroked her cramping back as she looked over the edge of the deck to see her parents and little sister waiting below.

"Now dear, Rarity is a very busy mare. I'm sure she'll be here in a moment, she promised to look after Sweetie Belle while we're away," Rarity's mother was saying to her father.

"I know, but we don't want to be late for the train. You should have let Sweetie just start her stay after the party last night. We don't really have time to wait." He was easy-going but disliked being late for anything and they would be pushing it to make it to the train station on time as it was.

"I wanted to stay! I love spending the night with Rarity. She's so much fun. I hope she gets home. I've been looking forward to this for weeks." Sweetie Belle's voice was what had awakened Rarity. When Sweetie was upset, her voice took on a sour quality like metal being shredded by a squalling cat on a chalkboard. It was the kind of noise that could eat at one's mental stability.

"I know but it was her birthday and I don't know what she does with those friends of hers. I thought she'd find a nice stallion by now but maybe she's more acquainted with those friends of hers than we need to know about. We have to give her personal time too, dear," her mother answered her father.

Rarity's face flushed with embarrassment and shame. She didn't need to hear her parents speculating on her love life or the reason she didn't have a stallion yet. She quickly called down from the balcony, "I'm here. I'm sorry; I was up rather late with Applejack and didn't wake up on time. I'll be right down." Great, that was exactly the right string of words to clear up doubts about her sexuality.

The mare rushed downstairs, forgetting her cosmetic remodeling for the moment. She had forgotten that Sweetie would be staying with her for the next week while her parents were away on vacation. Sweetie had, apparently, enjoyed her stay so much the last time that she would rather spend her time with Rarity than laying on a beach somewhere. It seemed odd to the elegant mare, but it was important for her to be a role model for her younger sister, even if it meant subjecting oneself to a week of chattering, questions, and foalish games.

Rarity stepped to the door, pausing a moment to straighten out her aching spine and slick down her wildly protruding mane. She was a sight this morning, she was sure, but it was only her parents and sister; she may not like appearing so disheveled for any reason but at least the only ones to regard her in such an unfashionable state would be those who were sworn to secrecy through the bonds of familial ties. The only one she may have to threaten would be her sometimes troublesome younger sister. She all to angrily remembered the Gabby Gums incident and rolled her hoof across her velvety mane again, sighing deeply just as she took the handle in her magical caress, forcing a winning smile to play across her lips. "Mother, Father, it's so nice to see you this morning. Oh, I do apologize for my poor manners and appearance. Applejack stayed rather late and I, regretfully, awoke on the veranda."

"Rarity, it's fine. We've not been waiting too long and..."

"We have to go! We're going to be late!" her father interrupted.

"Oh, stop. You always worry so much. Rarity, honey, about last night. I know the things that that awful pink pony said were …" Rarity's mother stopped in mid-sentence and a strange look overcame her features as if she were about to say something terribly out of character or had just realized how far down her throat she had stuffed her hoof. Rarity couldn't help but wonder what her mother had started to say. The slightly gray unicorn laughed awkwardly and flirted her eyes to her father for some indication of explanation but only met a very taxed and obsessing stallion.

From somewhere below Sweetie Belle giggled and gazed up at her older sister, struck with a short fit of jubilescense. Rarity furrowed her brows as she attempted to understand the reactions of her family and nervously echoed her awkward laughter once more.

"Rarity! You must have slept on your face because something left a big sleep welt across your face!" the young candy-maned filly chortled through laughter.

"Oh! Well … I suppose sleeping in a lawn chair isn't the most beauty inducing …" Rarity was cut off quickly by her mother, a crude behavior in which she had not previously been known to commit.

"I'm sure that's what it is. Just a sleep welt, nothing else. So, don't you worry, honey. It's just a little sleep welt." Something in the way she spoke sounded off and Rarity felt a pang of unease settle somewhere in the membranes of her mind.

"Now! We gotta go! Sweetie, have fun with your sister. Rarity, we love you. Watch your sister and make sure she doesn't get into trouble. Darling, we can't afford to waste any more time!" With an only slightly friendly nudge, the stallion ushered his wife away from the door, forcing her to walk away from their children and towards the train station. All the while, her mother craned her neck with concern to her oldest daughter, something that Rarity grew more restless about.

Maybe she thought Applejack had struck her or something … ? Goodness, it was bad enough that they were speculating on her preference of gender, but to conclude that she had so little confidence in herself as to let any possible interest abuse her? Perhaps she should try harder to find a nice stallion. She was thirty now and, although she didn't want to think about it anymore, her looks weren't going to stay in such condition forever.

Temporarily shelving her thoughts into the recesses of her mind, Rarity put on her best award-winning smile as she began to help carry in her sister's luggage from the front door.

After Sweetie Belle had finished helping Rarity place her belongings in the guest bedroom, the filly began to leap up and down on the queen-sized mattress while laughing with the kind of unrestrained, hyperactive merriment that only a foal could manage. "Alright! I've been waiting for this since school got out! We're gonna have so much fun!" The physical manifestation of excitement incarnate inched higher and higher into the air, slowly increasing the risk of ramming her horn into the ceiling and getting stuck like a disco-ball, all while running her mouth at speeds that would have rivaled Pinkie's.

"Oh, I can't wait to see what sort of cool stuff we're gonna do together! We could go rock climbing, skydiving, swimming, oh, we could even braid each other's manes! I brought some scissors, some glue, and everything!"

A lump formed in the back of the winsome unicorn's throat. The very thought of her resplendent mane at the mercy of Sweetie Belle was enough to make her nauseous. It had been blatantly clear for some time now that the two were long overdue for a sister to sister talk about what was and was NOT acceptable behavior for a young mare, but activities that exposed a pony to the elements? This was something taboo on the highest caliber.

"Right, I think a little heart to heart is in order. I'm going to go freshen up a little. In the meantime, do be a dear and stop jumping on the bed. It's very unladylike."

Sweetie Belle seemed to pause mid-air for a few seconds as her big sister excused herself from the guest bedroom. Upon closing the door and trotting down the hallway within the upper levels inside the Carousel Boutique, Rarity could swear that she heard more foalish giggles coming from the little filly. What was she laughing about? Suddenly, she recalled what had happened when her family had arrived a few short minutes ago. Sweetie and her mother both had mixed emotions about her … 'sleep welt'.

Something was definitely amiss here. If it was just a sleep welt then what reason did her mother have to look so worried? Even more puzzling, why did Sweetie find it so humorous? Her pace quickened as all sorts of possible explanations began to take root; none of them were pleasant.

Her thoughts were immediately thrown off course by the ocean of disorder that her boudoir was presently in. Empty wine glasses and carelessly shuffled furniture laid strewn about everywhere. Inspecting her face could wait for a few minutes. Besides, she was sure that she could fix whatever was wrong with a few layers of powder. She wouldn't stand for having other ponies thinking that she lived like some sort of irresponsible slob.

One by one, the empty glasses and scattered furniture were enveloped in a light blue magical aura. Her organizational skills had been refined thanks to years of designing clothing. Her profession demanded nothing less than a sharp eye for detail, grace, and, more importantly, photographic memory. The pale unicorn's ability to recollect previously seen patterns was so thorough that she likely could have reassembled the entire room blindfolded.

With the exception of the wine glasses, the room was just as spotless as it was before her birthday fiasco. Rarity beamed in content as she took it all in. This was how all living spaces were supposed to look, the epitome of beauty and elegance, just like her.

Rarity now stood in the kitchen, washing and putting away the dirty dishes. She was almost done, but her thoughts continued to drift back to Sweetie Belle and her mother. The feeling of not knowing what it was that they were so fixated on had become unbearable. She couldn't fight the urge any longer. Her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her. After cleaning and drying the next glass, she slowly brought it over to her face, turning her head from side to side as she gazed into the reflective surface of the wine flute, casting her astute eye for detail across her own visage.

"Hmm ... I don't see anything that calls for alarm. What did they -" her thoughts were derailed in the next instant that followed. No, it … it couldn't be! This … this had to be some sort of mistake!

Her hoofsteps echoed down the hallway as the panicked unicorn darted through the Boutique in a desperate search for a mirror. She finally found one sitting on her front desk. She reached one shaky hoof forward and brought it close. Her breath caught in her lungs, painfully turning to ice as she tried to let out a scream. Her body went numb as complete paralysis overtook her slender frame. For a moment, she lost all sense of self awareness, the mirror slipped silently, going unnoticed, causing it to shatter upon impact. Sweetie raced from upstairs; nimble but full of youth, she made quite the raucous as she flew down the stairs to discover the source of the commotion.

"Uh, Rarity? What just fell?" the voice of the youngster crescendoed and broke in typical fashion.

Rarity didn't notice, lost in abashed horror. "It … it's there. N- no … not. Wr-wri- …"

Sweetie was struck with profound disconcertment. Rarity gawked in such a manner unbecoming with her conventions it seemed caustic and momentarily spread to the filly. Her words were nearly devoid of emotion as Rarity seemed foregone of rationale. "Um, are you okay Rarity?"

Sweetie Belle slowly backed away as Rarity's eyes began to dilate and the corners of her mouth stretched into a sinister smile, followed by nervous laughter which then transformed into a quiet whimper. "A wrinkle … I'm … I'm …" 'Rarity! You must have slept on your face because something left a big sleep welt across your face!'

The Element of Generosity began to clench her teeth together as the image of her sister poking fun at her flashed into her mind. "No!"

'I'm sure that's what it is. Just a sleep welt, nothing else. So, don't you worry, honey. It's just a sleep welt.' "No! No! No! This isn't fair!"

"Oh, you mean that wrinkle on your -"

Rarity suddenly burst to life and fixed Sweetie Belle with a sinister glare, which then shifted into a harmonious smile. She slowly made her way over to her sister at a slow and methodical pace. "You know what? There's no need to even worry about this, ungodly blemish." Rarity began to rub the side of her cheek. "No, it doesn't matter at all. This is just a minor setback." She began to giggle in a way that reminded Sweetie Belle of miss Pinkie Pie. "I'm too beautiful to age like this. I WILL purge my radiant face of this grotesque marking if it's the last thing I do ..."

Rarity's smile was demented, the crutch of calamity, as she twisted her head towards the filly. Sweetie felt the tingling of a thousand needles pricking her soft filly flesh. That look in Rarity's eyes brought goosebumps to burst from her skin, a shiver breaking through her. She felt apprehensive, the week of excitement suddenly melting from her mind and solidifying as a bristling mistake. She needed to dissuade the unicorn's intentions. She knew this on an instinctive level, regarding her previous remarks as boundaries not to have been crossed. "I … I think you are so pretty, Rarity. You can't even notice it."

Rarity's eyes seemed to hinge themselves, the pin-prick pupils opened and the unsettling grin softened to a disheartened but controlled state and the soft gray unicorn looked apologetically, but concerned, at the filly. "Sweetie, I … I need to do something. Please entertain yourself for a while." She spouted her words hastily and with little more than a glance Rarity dashed from the room.

Sweetie Belle found herself able to breathe again, her lungs burning and yet a cold sensation had engulfed her mind. She needed to pee. Her legs shook slightly and she slowly fought to walk with stability upstairs to the room she would inhabit for the next week. Sweetie loved her sister, had thought it comical when she discovered the crow's foot at the corner of her eye. Despite Rarity's staunch belief in beauty and elegance, Sweetie had never imagined her sister would become so distant and … somewhat unhinged. She felt a poignant regret and wished she had never made a peep. She silently hoped Rarity would overcome the wrinkle that had grown. She loved her sister and the depth in which Rarity had responded shook the filly and cast gray gloom through her heart. She closed the door to her temporary bedroom and climbed into bed, snuggling under the blankets that gave no warmth, and hoped for Rarity's quick resolution.

The front doors of the Boutique flew open, forcefully snapping Sweetie Belle from out of the sorry state that she'd been in for the past seven hours. The small filly had been ridden with guilt ever since her sister had rushed off to Celestia knows where to do Celestia knows what. During her time alone, she thought up a series of apologies to say to Rarity. She knew that her sister was extremely self-conscious about her appearance; after All, she'd seen the way that she reacted to miss Pinkie Pie's remarks at the party.

When the doors opened, followed by the unmistakable sound of her sister's voice, Sweetie Belle smiled and raced downstairs. The filly even had a nice and well-written apology speech memorized and ready to go. Wiping away at her tear stained face, she bolted down the hallways and slid down the rails on the staircase, coming to a smooth landing on the floor below. "Hi, Rarity! Welcome … back …" the enthusiasm in her voice slowly fading.

Her speech, her genuine apology, her plans to spend the rest of her stay showing Rarity how sorry she was, all of it was forgotten at the sight of her sister lugging around a heavy looking bag filled with some very expensive looking moisturizers, facial creams, and other assorted beauty products.

"Oh, hello Sweetie Belle!" Rarity said in an almost overly cheerful tone in between wiping the sweat from her face with a piece of cloth. "I'm sorry that it took me so long to get back. I promise to fix you a nice dinner in just a few minutes." She set the bag down and collapsed into a chair so that she could catch her breath. "You won't believe how long the wait was for the train to Canterlot."

Sweetie Belle's eyes widened and she took a single step back out of disbelief. "Canterlot? You went all the way down to Canterlot?!"

"That's right!" Rarity's voice crescendoed to a whimsical height, mixed with excitement and desperation. "And it was well worth the trip and all of the bits that had to spend! I was able to get my hooves on some of the rarest and finest beauty supplies that Equestria has to offer! There should be at least one thing in this bag that'll take care of my … 'problem'. I'll be back to my normal, beautiful, self in no time!"

After the frequency between her heavy gasps for air had thinned out, she sat back up and smiled at Sweetie Belle. "By the way, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could help me lift this upstairs."

The filly's ears flattened against the sides of her face as her guilt came back in full swing. Rarity was still upset about the wrinkle. 'Of course she's still upset, you idiot,' Sweetie Belle mused. Well, at least she seemed to be in a better mood. Maybe there was still hope for them to still have some fun together after the wrinkle was gone. Until then, she'd do whatever it took to make her big sister happy again.


End file.
